Obituary of Pearl Kalancha

November 6, 1922 – Shandro, Alberta

October 22, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta

A special woman left this world 2 weeks short of her 100th birthday.

Pearl Kalancha passed away peacefully in the arms of her grandchildren on Saturday, October 22, 2022, in the beautiful setting at the Bowview Manor in Calgary, AB.  She was the youngest of nine children born to Mike and Vasalena Hawreliak, November 6, 1922.

She is survived by her son Reg (Mae); grandsons, Shawn O’Neil and Dean Kalancha; great-granddaughter, Emma; granddaughter, Natasha;  Mae’s daughters,  Bobbi Jodouin and Andie Walker and their families; daughter, Maureen Hefferton; grandson, Landon (Justine) Hurlburt; great-grandchildren, Marlow and Waylon; granddaughter, Brienne (Jason) Glass; great-grandchildren, twins Bodie and Steele; and granddaughter, Lacey (Chad) Cosgrave; great-grandsons, Roan and Ari; and daughter, Susan Kalancha; and grandson Joey Trombley.

She was predeceased by her father in 1970; mother in 1983; brothers, Nic (Eva) and Andy; sisters Mary (Metro), Nancy (Fred), Rose (Nick), Kate (Bill), Lena (Nick) and Anne (George); all of them living to a rich old age; and her son-in-law, Robert Hefferton in 2020.  Her husband Joe predeceased her in 1997.   She was also predeceased by beloved siblings of Joe’s; Steve (Ann) Kalancha, Rose (Dick) Vallee, Ann Kalancha, and Merle (Jack) Parsons.

Pearl grew up on the family farm, in the Shandro district near Willingdon, AB.  She had a very happy childhood and loved her memories of life back then. Her parents came from Ukraine, before the turn of the 20th century and were hard working pioneers.  When Pearl came along, the farm and her family’s business ventures were prosperous, due to the diligent work of her older siblings and life was good.  She often commented that she knew nothing of the Depression era because they never went without.

She married Joseph Kalancha on August 15, 1943, in Fort St. John, BC, as they were on their way to work on the building of the Alaska Highway.   After Joe was discharged from the army, they started their 54 years of married life, always with an entrepreneurial vigor for being in charge of their own destiny.   Through the years, they owned a bakery in Andrew, AB, a grocery store on 97 Street in Edmonton, the Yale Plaza restaurant in Calgary and the Bar X Steakhouse (now the Sawmill Restaurant) in Edmonton, often employing nieces and nephews.

In between ventures Pearl always worked outside the home, enjoying her years at the Hudson’s Bay and Simpson Sears stores in Edmonton.  Pearl and Joe travelled quite a bit in their retirement and a favorite was Barbados, WI.  They also travelled near and far to attend their grandchildren’s various activities and seldom missed out.

After Joe’s death, Pearl continued her involvement with her family’s many activities and was “Have car, will travel”.  Indeed, she drove until she was 95, making trips to the Glass farm, the city, and other familiar places.  Pearl was an avid Oilers fan, but we didn’t hold that against her.  She downsized her Calgary home in 2007 and moved to Okotoks where she spent eleven happy years.

Not only was Pearl adored by her grands and greats, she enjoyed a wonderful relationship with her nieces and nephews on both sides of the family and kept in contact with most of them all across the continent.  She loved them and was always in the loop in their lives.

A Celebration of Pearl’s Life will be held on her 100th birthday at McInnis & Holloway Hospitality Center (Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, AB), Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 1:00 p.m.

She was the best; she was the last one of the Greatest Generation in the Kalancha/Hawreliak family, and now they are gone.  We love you and you are forever in our hearts.

Condolences, memories, and photos may also be shared and viewed here.

In living memory of Pearl Kalancha, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 Centre Street North, Calgary, AB T2E 2V6, Telephone: 403-243-8200.